Avilliam



(No Model.)

W. J. MGLEAN.

BANJO BELL.

No. 604,630. Patented May 24,1898.

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WILLIAM J. MCLEAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BANJO-BELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,630, dated May 24, 1898.

Application filed September 29, 1897. $erial No. 653,491. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MOLEAN, of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Banjo-Bell, of which'the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

My'invention relates to an improvement in banjo-bells or devices to be inserted between the head of the banjo and the extension of the neck, and is intended as an improvement upon the device shown in the patent application filed by Albert H. Jarvis and myself upon the 19th day of February, 1897, Serial No. 624,17 5.

The improvement consists in forming a flange about the central opening in the bell and attaching thereto a flange or ring which is adjustable, so as to vary the thickness of the device and accommodate it for insertion in different banjos in which the distance between the head and the neck extension varies.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a top plan view of a banjo-head, showing the location of the hell by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is asectional elevation of the bell detached from the banjo.

The object of devices of this character is to improve the tone of the banjo and the volume of the tone. 4

I have found that the device mentioned in the application referred to is imperfect in that being non-adjustable the said device will only fit banjos having the same distance be tween the head and the extension of the neck.

The object of this improvement is to make the bell adjustable, so that it will fit within a reasonable range any banjo.

In the drawings the banjo-neck D, rim A, head B, and neck extension 0 are similar to those of any ordinary banjo.

The bell comprises two partsa shallow concave bell E, which has a central aperture, and the adjusting-ring G. Around the edge of the aperture in the bell E is a flange F, which is threaded on its inner surface, and within this flange is screwed the ring G,which also has a flange at its lower end. This ring may be screwed down, so as to make the device of comparatively little height,or screwed upward, so as to materially increase this height. In consequence of this the bell may be inserted in banjos in which the distance between the heads and the neck extensions varies considerably or may be tightened, so that it will be securely held between the neck extension and the head.

The position of the banjo-bell in connection with the banjo is shown in Figs. land 2, the preferable position being one in which the bridge H, over which the strings pass, is close to or just over one edge of the bell.

The bellis made of metal or any resonant material, and is preferably formed with a number of openings 6, arranged in the concave portion. In these matters, however, there may be a considerable variation in the structure of the device without departing from my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent? 1. An attachment for banjos, consisting of .a shallow bell adapted to fit between the WILLIAM J. MOLEAN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. HIGGINS, WM. FREDERIO LAYTON. 

